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One afternoon author Patsy Clairmont found herself on an airplane, sitting next to a young man. She writes, “I had already observed something about this young man when I was being seated. He called me “Maam.” At the time I thought, Either he thinks Im ancient, or hes from the South where they still teach manners, or hes in the service.

I decided the latter was the most likely, so I asked, “You in the service?” “Yes, Maam, I am.” “What branch?” “Marines.” “Hey, Marine, where are you coming from?” “Operation Desert Storm, Maam.” “No kidding? Desert Storm! How long were you there?” I asked. “A year and a half. Im on my way home. My family will be at the airport.”

I then commented that he must have thought about returning to his family and home many times while he was in the Middle East. “Oh, no, Maam,” he replied. “We were taught never to think of what might never be, but to be fully available right where we were.”